Aftermath
by imdoingthiswhy
Summary: Another post-Hunt story. The first day back at home.
1. Chapter 1

**Aftermath**

When Castle and Alexis walked in the door of the loft, Martha stood…nearly shouting, "Oooooh, you're back. You're back," and exuberantly grabbed her granddaughter in a huge, welcoming hug.

Kate took the moment to go straight to Castle, not wanting to keep him from Martha for long, but needing to feel his solid warmth against her to convince herself that he was really there and unhurt. What could have come out as an admonishment reached Castle as an almost whispered plea instead. "Please don't try anything like that again without me." At his, "I won't," she kissed him and then turned her attention to Alexis, hugging her tightly and holding on to her as they followed Martha to a family breakfast.

After opening his package and feeling the relief that his father was all right, Castle broke his usual protocol for addressing his mother and said, "Mom, there's something I want to tell you."

"Then come and sit down, and tell me while we eat," she answered.

"Kate needs to hear this, too" Alexis added. "She should know."

"We can tell you part of it now," Castle offered, looking back and forth between Kate and his mother. "We may need to talk about the rest later…when it's another day or so behind us. "If one of us talks, it's okay to listen, but give us time to decompress a little before there are too many questions…please. We just…" He was obviously trying to be strong and upbeat for his daughter, but just as obviously still as traumatized by the last few days' events as she had been.

Kate covered his hand with hers in silent understanding; and his mother, reaching for his other hand and Alexis' hand at the same time, answered, "I don't need to know anything right now except that you're both home and you're both safe. When either of you want to talk, I'm ready to listen. Just remember that."

"Thank you…both of you," Castle answered.

"Just tell us what you can for now," Kate said softly. Looking directly at Alexis, she added, "And if you need me for anything…anything at all, just call me…day or night, understand?" Then she looked at Castle and his mother. "That means any of you. You know that, right?"

Alexis nodded, and Martha answered lovingly, "We've known that for a while now, darling. Thank you."

"Can we just enjoy our breakfast before we talk about any of it?" Castle asked.

They all agreed, and for a while conversation was limited to occasional comments about how good the food was and other mundane observations.

When everyone had nearly finished the meal, Alexis drew up the courage to start the inevitable conversation. "Nobody hurt me," she told her grandmother and Kate. "I guess that's the best place to start. They threatened, and they scared me…a lot, but they didn't hurt me."

"Richard, what about you?"

"I guess my answer would have to be the same as Alexis'. There were efforts and threats, and they scared me a lot, but something intervened to stop them." He paused and took a deep breath, knowing that what he was about to say would have a strong effect on his mother. "While I was trying to find Alexis, I met someone I never expected to meet," Castle told them. "He helped me get her home safely, but I didn't know if he got out himself until that book arrived. He knew I'd understand when I saw it."

"And who was this mysterious stranger?" his mother asked.

He reached across to take his mother's hand firmly in his and said quietly and carefully, "My father."

Martha's fork clattered to the table and her face took on a look of shock, the color draining from it. "Your…father?" she repeated. "How did you find him?" She was obviously shaken.

"He found me, Mother…and at just the right moment to save me from a bad situation He took me home with him to plan what we'd do next. All these years he's been keeping up with us; he's read all my books. He asked about you, he knew about Beckett, about my work with the police. He even had a little wall of pictures of Alexis from the time she was little. He's been close enough to see us sometimes.

"Then why…"

"He said he was called back to his job and had to leave…didn't know about me until he was back in the states a year later. Because of his job, he thought we'd be safer if he just didn't come back. He said the correct term for someone like him is an intelligence asset. He's a spy…CIA…and from what I saw, extremely good at his job. Alexis was taken because someone discovered she's his granddaughter…someone wanted to draw him out, and she was the bait. None of us can ever talk about that, understand? It doesn't go beyond these walls. The story that will come out was concocted to hide my father's involvement."

"Does this mean one of you… Could this sort of thing happen again?" Martha asked fearfully.

"It was a personal vendetta. One man's vengeance, and it's probably over. The man is dead."

"Thank God."

Kate sat quietly, her head downward, watching the interplay between mother and son through her lashes and staying out of the conversation. It seemed she was trying to disappear as much as possible to avoid distracting them in any way. She felt a hand over hers and glanced in that direction to find Alexis watching her and looking as if she felt very much the same way Kate did. Alexis squeezed Kate's hand, and Kate inconspicuously laced their fingers together in quiet communion as Castle continued.

"I thought if I ever met my father, I'd despise him for leaving us, but I couldn't. It still seems wrong that he left, but he said his job allows for no relationships…no regular contacts either I'd think. Maybe, even that long ago, he'd already made that kind of enemies. I didn't have time to ask those questions. Mother, I liked him…felt drawn to him…felt sorry that he seemed to want a connection to us so badly and believed he could never risk it. His job isn't as appealing as I used to think it might be. The kinds of things he has to do…and I'm not sure I want to know all of them…it separates him…makes him vicious enemies if they can identify him; and that leaves him apart from the people he cares about, the ones he knows would care about him. I could almost feel the loneliness in the air around him when we talked about us." He gripped his mother's hand gently when he saw the tears overflowing her eyes. "He said he's always been proud of me…and I had the feeling that he didn't want to leave me any more than I wanted to leave him…that he would have given anything to meet Alexis…but it would have put all three of us in more danger. Time was an important factor; he had things planned to the minute. He wanted us safe."

"Richard…I don't know what to say," Martha whispered, her head down.

"You don't need to say anything, Mother. All my life you've made sure that I knew I was loved. I just needed you to know that I understand why you wanted to be with him. In spite of everything, I think he's a good man."

"Thank you," she answered softly and patted his hand with her free one, rubbing the back of it with her thumb before she released hers from his grip.

"I think that's all I have in me right now," Castle stated suddenly. "We could all use some rest." Looking at Kate and his mother, he said, "I know the two of you probably didn't get any more sleep than we did."

"Alexis, will you be okay in your room alone?" Kate asked, not yet letting go of her hand.

"I think I might actually be tired enough to sleep a little bit. Will you stay with us, Kate?"

"Yeah. Gates kicked the whole team out last night when she found out the two of you were on your way home…told us not to come back 'til tomorrow. She said I was so tired I was less than worthless to her, anyway." She put her other hand over Alexis' hand and added, "And there's no place I'd rather be."

Alexis smiled at her…not her usual smile, but any smile at all was a welcome sight; then she stood up. "I'm going to take a shower, put on my favorite pajamas, and get in my own bed."

"Call me when you're in your pj's. I want to tuck you in," Castle told her.

She looked like she was about to protest but then answered, "Okay," and went to his chair, hugged him, and kissed his cheek before she went to take her shower.

When Alexis was upstairs, Martha turned to her son. "You need rest as much as she does, Richard. Tuck your daughter in and let me take care of her if she wakes up before you do…or if she has a nightmare. All the time the two of you were gone, everybody else had something useful to do. All I could do was stay here with the FBI people, answer the phone when it rang, and worry constantly. This is something I can do…something useful for all of you. After Alexis is asleep, go get some rest. And your daughter isn't the only one who needs comforting. Let Kate take care of you. I'll take a book and camp out in Alexis' room. She won't be alone."

"I'll try, but it's hard right now to let my baby out of my sight long enough for her take a shower and get into her pajamas. "I was so scared." He put his elbows on the table and rested his face in his hands.

Martha stroked a hand up and down his arm, and Kate stood behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, her hands crossed on his chest, and leaned her head down to kiss his cheek.

"Whatever you need…just tell me," she whispered before she kissed him again.

"I don't know what I'd do without either of you," he answered appreciatively and leaned his head back against Kate's shoulder.

Martha insisted on taking care of the dishes herself and demanded that they relax on the sofa until Alexis was back. Kate curled up next to Castle, and he held her close, his head on hers. Neither of them needed to say anything; they simply needed to be close. Martha stole a glance now and then and smiled but left them alone.

When Alexis came to the top of the stairs, Castle went up to meet her, and Kate watched as he possessively put an arm around his daughter's shoulders to walk her to her room. She then went into the kitchen to help Martha with the last of the clean-up and saw tears in her eyes. It broke her heart to see the usually strong, exuberant woman that way. Kate hugged Martha, and the older woman returned it.

"Kate, I'm so relieved. I was so afraid I'd never see them again."

"I know. Me, too."

"Will they be okay?"

"Eventually. It might take some time."

"I know you'll get Richard to talk to you. I think you're the only one he lets his guard down for. We get most of the story, but we have to judge the rest ourselves. No matter how silly he can get, when it matters, he's always determined to be the man of the house, the one we can all depend on. If Alexis is having trouble, will you help her, too? I don't think I know how…no matter how much I want to. Richard will do his best, but I'm not sure he knows how to help himself right now."

"Anything…anytime, Martha…for you, too."

"We're all lucky to have you, Kate Beckett."

"And I'm pretty lucky all of you adopted me," she assured Martha as Castle's mother pulled away and found a tissue to dry her eyes.

It was twenty minutes later before Castle felt Alexis was sufficiently tucked in. He reported that she was so exhausted she was falling asleep almost by the time her head hit the pillow, but he hadn't been able to make himself leave until he knew she was really asleep.

Martha picked up the book she had been unsuccessfully trying to read earlier and ordered her son to get some rest. "I'll be right beside her. If she seems to need you more than me, I'll come and get you."

Castle just nodded and wrapped an arm around Kate's shoulders before walking toward his room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Start the shower," Kate told Castle as they reached his room. "I'll find us something to sleep in. We don't need to be scrambling for something family friendly if Alexis needs you."

He just nodded again, too physically and emotionally drained to say anything else. He started the shower and undressed, stepping in just before Kate joined him. Leaning forward and bracing his hands at shoulder height against the wall with his head hanging between them, he let the warm water fall over his neck and back.

Kate stood close and ran her hand across his back repeatedly, and he knew she was trying to sooth some of the tension out of his tight muscles. As he recognized her efforts to be what he needed, he finally allowed himself to feel the weight of everything that had happened in the past few days. "When they took me to her… When I saw her…they had her in a cage," he started quietly. "Kate, they had my baby locked in a cage…like an animal." Then the tears started, and his voice broke. "They had their filthy hands on her to stop her from escaping…to sedate her and move her from place to place. She said no one tried anything, and a doctor attached to the embassy agreed, but still… The thought that they could have..."

Kate turned him toward her and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head to her shoulder. "Don't try to hide any of this from me, Rick," she said firmly. "Partners, remember? We take turns being the strong one. Say it all. Cry. Get it out. No matter what it is, I've got you. I'm here to stay."

When he heard her words and felt the determination in her voice and the tightening of her arms around him, he finally broke down and sobbed on her shoulder, his arms holding her close. She moved her arms around his waist as he brokenly told her the rest of the story…all of it. As he got the story out, he gradually calmed. Even Alexis hadn't heard it all…and probably never would.

After he had finished...ending with the embassy, the cover story, and the plane ride home...Kate just held him, letting him decide when to let go. "It was like not being able to wake up from a nightmare."

I know," she said soothingly. "I know."

He kissed her roughly, and she returned it the same way, a touch of desperation taking over, but they were both far too tired for it to go farther than being thankful for another reprieve…another victory over what could have kept them apart. She lathered her hands and soaped his chest, gently stroking some of his tension away. She lathered and soaped until he was covered, then he did the same in return before they rinsed off. It was a testament to their exhaustion that neither had the intention of anything more than providing and accepting comfort. When they were dry, they put on the daughter appropriate sleepwear and snuggled under the covers.

"Can I do anything else to help?" Kate asked.

Castle was on his back with one hand under his head, the other arm around Kate's shoulders, and she had her head on his shoulder and an arm draped over his middle.

"This is what I needed…you listened, you haven't sounded angry, you took care of my mother when I was gone, you helped me relax more than I have in days, and you're lying here beside me. Right now, that's all I need."

"Always," she answered softly, and left a kiss on his chest. "Try to rest. Even if you don't sleep, close your eyes and try to rest."

Like Alexis, sleep came more quickly than either of them had expected. Kate had managed her own version of tucking Castle in, but she couldn't sleep before he did any more than Richard Castle could have slept before his daughter had. When she heard the even breathing that goes with sleep, Kate allowed herself to drift into slumber as well.

xxxxx

Alexis woke up about an hour after she had fallen asleep. She sat up quickly, looking unsettled and calling for her father.

Martha put down her book and moved to sit on the side of Alexis' bed to calm her. "Bad dreams, darling?"

"Where's Dad?" she asked, sounding frightened.

"Shhh," Martha soothed, putting her arms around her granddaughter. "You're both home, and he's downstairs sleeping. Kate is taking care of him. He's safe."

Alexis fell into her grandmother's arms, holding her tight. "Will you lie down with me for a while?" she asked.

Martha recognized the sound from when Alexis was younger and feeling insecure. "Of course I will. Scoot over."

Alexis moved over and held up the covers, then curled into Martha's arms when her grandmother slipped in beside her. "I feel like I did when I was five and there were monsters in the closet, but these were real ones."

Martha kissed her head and stroked her back. "Do you think you can get back to sleep?"

"Maybe. You won't leave?"

"I won't leave."

"You haven't slept much lately either, have you?"

"Not much. Lying down feels good."

"Thanks, Grams. I love you."

That brought another kiss on her head, and they both closed their eyes and let sleep slowly pull them in.

xxxxx

Kate woke up with Castle's arm across her waist and the rest of him spooned snugly behind her. Looking at the clock across the room, she found they had slept until mid-afternoon, and if Alexis needed anyone after they all fell asleep, Martha had apparently handled it well. She eased out of bed slowly, doing her best not to wake Castle, made a quick stop in the bathroom, and went to see if Alexis was up. Checking on Alexis would undoubtedly be the first thing on his mind when Castle woke up, and she might as well have a report to ease his worries when that happened. He would want to come across as the strong dad, and that would be easier if he didn't feel the need to race out of his room frantically calling his daughter's name.

Martha and Alexis were in the living room picking out a movie when Kate came in. She went to Alexis, brushed her hand gently across her back, and asked, "Did you manage to sleep?"

"I slept a while and woke up, but Grams got in with me and I got back to sleep. Thanks for taking care of Dad. I think he's been afraid to close his eyes for the past few days. Did he sleep?"

"He was still sleeping when I left. I just wanted to check on you…to know what to tell him; you'll be the first thing on his mind when he wakes up. I'm going right back so he doesn't wake up alone. Did you get some rest, too, Martha?"

"I had a nice nap with my granddaughter. Now get back in there and take care of my son." Martha hugged Kate and said softly, "Thank you."

"Nothing to thank me for, Martha." She closed the study door, and arrived at the bedroom door just as Castle was opening his eyes. He looked panicked.

"Alexis? Kate?" He pushed himself up to look around as if he wasn't sure where he was.

"Right here," Kate answered. "Alexis is up. She woke up once; but Martha got her back to sleep." She got back under the covers and held him while he pulled himself together.

"Stay here with me for a little while?" she asked. "They were picking out a movie when I checked on them, and they think you're still sleeping. Can I be selfish enough to keep you to myself for a few more minutes?"

"I'd like that, too," he answered, wrapping his arms tighter around her. "I'd like that a lot." He buried his face in the bend of her neck and nuzzled there before he rested his forehead on her shoulder. "Thank you for last night," he said softly from near her chest. "I was a disaster, and you let me fall apart, then helped me relax enough to rest. I can't do that with anybody else."

"Then I feel pretty special."

"You are pretty special." He moved his head back to his pillow and smoothed his fingers across her cheek. "I know I haven't heard it yet," he paused and kissed her gently, "but I know you love me, Detective Beckett. I see it in your eyes, I hear it in your voice, I feel it in your touch, the things you do…"

She kissed him again, not as gently as he had kissed her.

"You're really not angry that I left without telling you?"

"I was mad as hell, might still be once in a while, and disappointed that it looked like you didn't trust me; but mostly I was scared senseless and wishing you'd call. When I heard what sounded like a gunshot and your phone went dead, I kept telling myself there was still hope, but I couldn't get past the thought that you were dead…that you were dead, and we didn't even know where to look for you." Her words accelerated, and there were tears in her eyes as she spoke, a catch in her voice. "I thought I was going to live the rest of my life never seeing you again, and I don't know how to do that anymore." The tears were falling on her cheeks by then. "And Alexis… And your mother… Castle, she was so scared. She put up a good front, but she was so afraid. We held each other up until we heard you were safe."

"I'm so sorry," he answered, wiping the stray tears with his thumbs. "I was more than a little distracted and didn't think how it must have sounded to you. My father told me to call you, gave me a new phone...and I was about to; but then the phone rang, and it was Volkov delivering his ultimatum. After that, Hunt told me why Alexis was taken, and we started working on a plan… If it had been the other way 'round, Kate… I'm so sorry I put you through that."

"You're here and you're safe – both of you. That's all that matters right now."

He held her tighter. "Still, I'm sorry…"

"It made me realize how it looks to see somebody you love disappear down the rabbit hole. It showed me exactly what I'd done to you those times before, and I promise it won't ever happen again. The rabbit hole is scary enough when you're alone and on the way down it, but the other view is way scarier. All I can do for my mother is try to find justice for her death. You have a wonderful, living, breathing daughter who could be found and brought home. I understand that. Just don't ever do something like that again alone. I'm supposed to have your back."

He pulled back far enough to see her face. "Somebody you love?"

"Well…" she answered with a teary grin, "Since you already know…" When he laughed and looked happier than he had since he got home, she sensed that this was when he needed most to hear it. "I love you, Richard Castle," she said gently. "I love you, and I love your family, and I love being here with all of you."

"I know we need to talk about the rest of what you said, and what I did, and probably a couple of other things, too; but right now that last part is going to get me through the day. Is that okay for now?"

"Yeah, Castle. We're good. We'll talk when things settle down. For now, your family is probably wishing you'd wake up and get out there where all of you can see that everybody is safe. All of you need a day that's quiet and unexciting…and together."

He kissed her firmly, and they held each other for a moment before they got up to be with the rest of the family.

"I think Gates knows," Kate said as they got dressed.

"That may be for the best," he answered. "I'm tired of hiding it. Maybe it's time to deal with whatever is going to happen."

"I'm tired of it, too. It's hard hiding it when I keep wanting to shout it to the rest of New York City."

"And I'm sure Paula would be perfectly willing to find a way to help you with that shouting thing," he said with a chuckle as he tucked in his shirt tails and fastened his pants. Then he gently pushed Kate's hands away from her task and finished buttoning her shirt for her. After kissing her lips softly, he put an arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the study.

She leaned her head on his shoulder and stretched an arm around his waist as they walked slowly through the study, and they stopped at the door for another kiss…one more brief, intimate moment before joining the others.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Go hug your daughter, Castle," Kate told him as he opened the study door.

Martha stopped the movie when she and Alexis heard the door open, and they both stood to meet him.

Rick smiled appreciatively at Kate and did exactly as she suggested. "You still coping, Pumpkin?" he asked, holding his daughter close.

"Pretty much," she answered, snuggling into his arms. "Better now that I can see you."

"Same here."

They held each other for a long moment. Then he gave his mother a similar hug; and as she wrapped her arms around his waist, he said, "I'm sorry I worried you, Mother…but I had to do what I could to find her. The FBI was talking about another couple of days."

"I understand, Richard. I do. But I've never been so afraid in my life. Having Kate was a blessing. "

While Castle apologized and talked to his mother, Kate went to give Alexis a quick hug and asked what movie they were watching. Alexis told her and surreptitiously looked toward the kitchen where her father and grandmother were talking. She started the movie again, turned her back toward the kitchen, and pulled Kate down to sit with her.

"How do you do it, Kate?"

"Get over something like this?" Kate asked.

"How long does it take to forget…to be able to walk alone without feeling like there's a target on your back…not wake up feeling like you're still there?"

"I won't lie to you. It's going to take a while, and it's going to take some effort. It gradually gets better. You won't ever forget, but you'll be able to push it to the back of your mind where it doesn't feel quite so important. Your dad has been through some tough things since he's been at the precinct. He can help when you need it."

"No."

"No?"

"I can't talk to him. I don't want to see how much it hurts him to watch me trying to work through something this bad, and I don't want to hear how he felt in that car at the bottom of the river...not that he'd tell me much if I asked. It's bad enough to remember that it happened. I can't tell Grams all of it, either...she worries too much about us."

"He told me what happened…and that he didn't have time to explain it to you…what Volkov threatened…the countdown. I'm so sorry you have to remember that."

"He told you everything…already?!"

"He told me this morning. He needed to get it out of his system before he could sleep. We take care of each other, Alexis. I know you may still have a few lingering doubts about me, but I'm not going anywhere. Your dad and I still have things to work out, but we will. And I intend to take care of you when you need it, too."

"Can I talk to you when I need to?" she asked with tears in her eyes. "He's told you everything, so you already know."

"I've already told you…any time you need me…whatever you need." She hesitated briefy, then plunged into the idea, "I was seeing a therapist most of last year, and it helped a lot."

"You were?" Alexis looked surprised.

"Yeah. The shooting, the surgery, a lot of things you don't need to be bothered with. And I wanted to be better. I wanted to give your father someone worth his trouble. I should have told him that a lot sooner than I did."

"You always seem to be able to handle anything."

"Looking that way doesn't necessarily translate to what's inside."

"But you're so strong. I'm…"

"At least as strong as I am…maybe stronger," Kate insisted. "I was a year older than you when my mother was killed, but I was stubborn enough to think I could manage on my own. It was a long time before I gave in and looked for help. Look at what _you're _doing. First day home and you're already asking the right questions. Don't wait as long as I did if you think you could use help. If you decide some therapy might help you, I'll give you a name and number. I'll go with you if you want…hold your hand, sit in the waiting room, be here to talk afterward, or just have a hug waiting when you get home…whatever works. Entirely your decision. Nothing will work until you're ready for it to."

Alexis wrapped her arms around Kate's waist in a tight hug, and Kate's arms went around the girl's shoulders. "I'm so glad we have you."

Castle walked over to see what they were talking about just in time to hear his daughter's words to Kate and Kate's answer…"Always."

He leaned over the back of the sofa, put a hand on each woman's shoulder and kissed their heads…all he could reach as they sat wrapped around each other. "I love you both so much."

"We love you, too, Castle," Kate answered with a smile, not letting go of Alexis.

Alexis pulled back to look at them, smiling through her tears. "I haven't heard you say that before."

"We're getting better at it," her father answered with a smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes.

"About time," she teased.

Castle walked around the sofa and made a show of making room for himself between them.

"What kinds of very normal things can we do for the rest of the day?" he asked, putting an arm around each of them and propping his sock covered feet on the coffee table. "Right now dull and boring sounds really good."

"We could watch the rest of this movie," Alexis suggested.

"Make popcorn to go with it?" Castle asked.

"Popcorn sounds good," Kate agreed. "You volunteering, Castle?"

"Why not? It's normal, right?" He got up and went to the kitchen to make the popcorn.

While his back was turned to get out what he needed, Kate motioned Martha over with a mischievous grin, and she and Alexis placed Martha where Castle had been between them. Castle was oblivious, humming something to himself as he waited for the corn to pop and getting out drinks to go with the popcorn and a tray to deliver it all. After he had everything ready, he picked up the tray and returned to the living room to find Martha ensconced in his seat with one arm around Kate and the other around Alexis, her feet defiantly planted on the coffee table, ankles crossed.

"Something else normal to do, darling."

"Pick on Dad," Alexis agreed with a mischievous grin that made it so worth losing his seat.

"All right, ladies, here you are." He sighed dramatically. "I'll just go back and get my own bowl and sit over here…alone and lonely." He went back to the kitchen and returned to fill his bowl from the larger one. "Alone and lonely," he sighed again as he sat down in the armchair and tried hard to look dejected.

"Oh, for goodness sake, Richard," his mother chuckled, "give me that bowl and come back over here."

He handed his mother the smaller bowl and gleefully wiggled back between his daughter and his partner. "Another normal thing to do," he said, looking back and forth between Kate and Alexis.

"What's that?" Kate asked.

"Send my mother on a guilt trip."

"Don't tell him, girls," Martha stage whispered, "but this chair is much more comfortable for my aging back. Let him think what he will."

They all knew the tension and angst would return before long, but they savored their normal frivolity while they could hold on to it.

After the movie was over and Alexis was taking the dishes back to the kitchen, Castle went and got a box from a storage closet and took it to his room. When Kate asked about it, he said he'd tell her later.

They found simple things to do, cards, another movie after dinner, but as the evening progressed and it was dark outside, the strain of the kidnapping began to slip back in. By bedtime, Castle was having a hard time letting Alexis out of his sight again. She looked sleepy, so he put his arm around her shoulders and walked her toward the stairs.

Kate and Martha smiled as they heard him say, "Come on. I'll check for monsters and stay until you're asleep. I'll even read you a story if you want."

"Thanks, Dad." Alexis didn't protest at all, just grinned and asked, "Do I get to pick the story?"

He laughed and pulled her head to him to kiss it as they reached the top of the stairs.

"I've never been so glad to see any two people in my whole life," Kate said quietly, still watching as Castle and his daughter moved out of sight. "Alexis is okay about my being with her father now, isn't she, Martha?"

"She's fine with it…and if it counts, I'm ecstatic."

Kate finally looked away from the stairs and over at Martha and answered, "Of course it counts." With a shy smile, she added, "I think I'm ecstatic about being with your son, too."

Martha stood and went to the sofa to hug Kate. "That will be something good to remember while I try to get to sleep, dear. I'm going to shower and go to bed, too."

"I'm going to sit here and wait for Castle to convince himself that Alexis is safely asleep."

"You could be here a while."

"I know, but I'll be here anyway."

Martha took her hand briefly. "I know you will. My son is in good hands. Goodnight, Kate."

Later, when Castle came back downstairs, Kate was waiting, a book in hand. "Is she asleep?" she asked.

"Yeah, I need to go back up for just a minute. Be right back." He went to his room and then back upstairs with something in his hand, but Kate couldn't make out what it was; and he returned in no time saying, "Everybody else is in bed. It's our turn."

"Sounds good to me."

He held out his hand to pull her up from the sofa and kept her hand in his as they walked back to their room. Kate again took out something to sleep in that wouldn't embarrass either them or Alexis if she came down during the night.

Turning to put their pajamas on the bed, Kate found a purple and pink plastic unicorn on Castle's nightstand.

"What is that?" she asked, unable to hold back a smirk.

Castle looked a little sheepish and mumbled, "The baby monitor. It's been in the closet for years."

"Bugging a teen-ager's room? You know you're treading on thin ice, don't you?"

"This morning Mother was sitting with her. Tonight she's alone. If she has nightmares, I want to be there, and I'll sleep better knowing I can. Mother usually reads before she goes to sleep; she'll be awake enough to hear her for a while yet, but after that, I don't know. My little girl has been through enough. I don't want to leave her frightened and alone now that she's home."

"Under these circumstances she might forgive you," Kate assured him, stroking her hand across his cheek. She knows how much you love her, and I do, too. She's a lucky girl to have you for a father."

"Do _you_ know?" At her questioning look, he added, "How much I love _you_?"

She kissed him the way she had kissed him when he came home that morning…loving and sweet. "I know, Rick. No doubts." Pausing briefly, she asked, "Do you think Martha might be reading long enough for me to give you a better welcome home than we had time for earlier? I don't want Alexis alone and scared, either."

"Yeah, probably. But don't ever think hearing that you love me wasn't a perfect welcome home."

"Then how does, 'I love you. Disable the unicorn for a little while and let me show you.' sound?" Pointing at the mostly purple monitor, she added, "I don't how those things work exactly, but I feel like it's listening…maybe even staring at me."

"Give me a minute," he answered with a smirky smile.

When they were in bed, he asked, "We're still okay? I didn't set us back running off to Paris without you?"

"We've dealt with some heavy stuff since we got together, and we've come out of it stronger every time. We'll be okay. Talk later, Writer-man. Right now, take advantage of our little window of opportunity, shut up, and work your magic on me so you can put the unicorn back online and be sure our girl is okay."

"_Our_ girl?"

"Sorry. I guess I was feeling a little more protective than I realized."

"No need to be sorry. That's how I want it to be. I love that it just popped out like an everyday thought." He kissed her forehead and tucked her head under his chin. "Gotta hand it to you, Detective. You do know how to put together an awesome welcome home package. I'm a lucky man." When she set her hands to wandering over his bare skin, he groaned against her hair and responded with little kisses between his words. "Oh, yeah." A kiss on her lips. "Little window of opportunity." A kiss on her nose. "Unicorn disabled." A kiss on her neck. "Pajamas later." A kiss on her shoulder. "Shut up." A kiss on the scar at the center of her chest. "Magic." Another kiss on… "Got it."

The ensuing giggle from Kate aided in setting off the magic. They would enjoy their moment then reconnect the girly little unicorn, which would give both of them more peace of mind; and as the questions and struggles and fears reappeared, they would deal with them the way they usually did now…together.


End file.
